Studio Technologies announces that Turner Sports chose the company's 5110 Mic/Line Input Module and 5120 Line/IFB Output Module to be part of the fly pack kit used to produce Turner Sports Internet coverage of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season championships. Production services for the Web-based streaming broadcasts of each event are being provided by Indianapolis-based WebStream Productions, a leading supplier of video production, streaming and content creation.

The production schedule covers 87 championship games across all NCAA-sanctioned sports played at more than 1,200 Division I, II and III schools across the U.S. and Canada. A compact custom rack enclosure houses the 5110 and 5120 modules along with audio-over-fiber transport gear. Located at the announcers’ location, this allows direct connection of each announcer’s on-air headsets.

As part of the Turner Sports service, the initiative seeks to expand the coverage of sports such as Divisions II and III wrestling, Divisions I, II and III field hockey, Divisions II and III men’s and women’s soccer, and Divisions II and III women’s volleyball.

Portable fly pack systems are set up on two 6-foot tables located within the venue. The tables become the main production hub for the audio and video mixers and support gear. Two engineers are assigned to run each championship event, along with several student hires from the host school. Each shoot involves two cameras and announcers that are linked to the production hub via fiber.

The 5110 modules accept the microphone feeds from the announcers’ headsets, sending the digitized signal down the fiber. These signals are converted back to analog, run through an audio mixer and out to the Internet. Return audio is transported via fiber back to the 5120 modules at the announcers’ location. These “IFB” feeds provide the talent cue signals that are required for efficient on-air applications.

The 5110 and 5120 are part of Studio Technologies’ 5100-Series modules. The series features compact modules designed for use in custom audio applications. The series offers module versions for dual-channel mic/line input, dual-channel line/IFB output, dual-channel party-line intercom interface and remote access. Versions are available for compatibility with SMPTE and EBU analog and digital audio reference levels.